Chapter 353: Fly High

After-school class.

There seems to be an inspection of all the facilities in the school building in the evening, and all the club activities are suspended.

Outside the window, the students heading for the main gate seem to be going out to have fun, giving off a somewhat cheerful atmosphere.

It so happens that I’m not working as a model today.

Therefore, I casually chatted with Masaki, and there is Mai, who joined the conversation, saying, “Yahoo”.

「Huh? Mai, aren’t you going home with Fumi-kun today?」

「Hmm. Kei-chan came by earlier and took him away」

We agreed that it’s Mai’s privilege to go home with Fumi-kun, since she is his official girlfriend.

「*Sigh…* well, if it’s Kei-chan, we can’t help it」

「That’s right, it’s Kei-chan, after all」

As we nodded our heads, Masaki made a face as if she was taken aback.

「Haha… Everyone is so sweet to Takasago-san, even Fumio-kun」

「How so? I think we’re not spoiling her enough」

「Yes yes」

When Mai and I said this in a rather serious manner, Masaki looked slightly taken aback.

「By the way, since we’re going out of our way, why don’t we invite Ui-chan and stop by a family restaurant in front of the station? Misuzu-chan, you always seem to be busy, and we haven’t had a chance to talk lately」

「Sounds good, let’s go! Let’s go!」

Mai agreed with Masaki’s suggestion, jumping up and down.

Of course, I have no reason to refuse. But if Tashiro-san is going to be with us, it will be a complete Confinement King harem, a meeting of top women.

（Maybe I should ask Mai to trade Kei-chan for Akira… But it seems not）

While I am thinking about this, Masaki quickly opens the Social Media and sends a message to Ui-chan.

The message is read immediately, but it takes a long time to be answered. Then, after about five minutes, a reply came back with only one word.

『OK』

「Ui-chan says it’s OK」

「Well, then, let’s move quickly!」

No one wants to talk about it any further. However, if Natsumi-chan is here, she would have made a comment like “What OK…?” or something, but all of us will ignore it.

I don’t dislike Tashiro-san.

Although she sometimes clashes with me over Fumi-kun, I like her straightforward personality, and her clumsiness is worth teasing.

I even want her to stay like that forever.

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「Now then…」

But as I picked up my bag and was about to leave my seat, I suddenly heard an unfamiliar girl’s voice behind me.

「Oh, um… Misuzu-san!」

When I turned around, there stood an unfamiliar girl. From the color of her ribbon, she seemed to be a second-year student.

「Um… Do you want an autograph?」

I chuckle.

This isn’t the first time an underclassman has come to visit me. But this is the first time a fan has come all the way to the third-year classroom to ask for my autograph.

But she shook her head.

「No, I-I-I don’t! I just wanted to say hello!」

「Hello?」

「Y-Yes! M-My name is Asuka Nitani. I’ve just passed the audition for a newcomer, and I’m going to be working for KKO!」

「So, you’re the junior member of the office?」

「T-That’s right!」

Oh, by the way, President Chihiro told me that a girl on the basketball team of this school passed the audition.

As I recall, there are two students who passed the audition this time.

However, she said that the other girl, who was her favorite, was stolen to a larger agency, implying that she was the only one who passed this audition.

However, the fact that she belongs to KKO and has passed the audition means that Fumi-kun has finally given his approval, and there is a high possibility that she will join his harem.

That’s why me, Masaki and Mai looked at each other.

Looking at her again, she is indeed cute.

She has a short cut and looks like she belongs to a sports club.

Her facial expression is tense, but her eyes are cool and her nose is well-defined. She is taller than Tashiro-san, and has the air of a masculine performer in some vaudeville troupe.

（She’s definitely a model… her breasts are modest, but her figure is very well balanced…）

「Do you want to be a model?」

「Y-Yes! Misuzu-sa… Misuzu-senpai is my dream model」

What a cute thing to say.

「Look, look, look! Did you see that? Did you see that!?」

When I gave Masaki and Mai my best smug face, they just shrugged and said, “Yes, yes”.

「Asuka-chan, right? You can’t imitate Misuzu-chan like this」

「Oh, Masaki…」

Asuka-chan puffed up her cheeks at Masaki’s comment, and I giggled.

「So, Asuka-chan, have you started your work yet?」

I asked, and she waved her hand hurriedly.

「N-No, not at all. I’ve only signed some contracts, so I haven’t done any work yet… The President said that if I get good results in the club activities, I’ll be able to use them as a weapon in my future activities, so until I retire in my third year, I’ll concentrate on the club activities and keep my work low」

I see, it’s very easy to sell when there are achievements to be proud of.

I’ve heard that this school’s girls’ basketball team is one of the strongest in the country, and if she becomes a member of the winning team of the national tournament, she’ll be the talk of the town.

「Well, I look forward to working with you, Asuka-chan. There are some bad guys in the office, but you can always count on me if you need anything」

By “Bad Guys”, I mean Lolisla, specifically.

She is currently absent, having gone to the demon world, but as the office’s highest earner, she is getting carried away. I think she should be punished by Fumi-kun.

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「It’s been a long time since I’ve gone home with Saori, hasn’t it?」

「Yes, because it’s not often that we have club activities off together, you know」

When I, Saori Moribe, was about to leave for school close from the main gate, I happened to run into my middle school classmate.

Her name is Ayame Hanabusa-chan.

We are in different classes, and our personalities are complete opposites, but we are still good friends.

The reason we became friends was that in middle school, we were lined up in order of height for the morning ceremony, and Ayame and I, being short, were the first and second in line.

She was always energetic and pulled me along when I was shy in middle school, and I think it was thanks to her that I was not left out of the class because of my personality.

「Ayame-chan, how is the basketball club?」

As soon as I asked that, Ayame-chan’s expression suddenly clouded over.

「Well… it’s a bit of a mess. Kaitou-senpai quit, so it’s been a bit of a mess」

I’ve heard that story before.

Kaitou-senpai is famous.

She is a super ace who won the MVP award at the national tournament when she was a freshman. Everyone in this school knows that she suddenly left the club this summer.

「…I-I’ll listen to your story at least! If it’s okay with you!」

「Haha, sure. But isn’t it more difficult on the track and field club? According to what I’ve heard, the number of members has decreased since the incident. Well, when I heard that Saori joined the track and field club, I was extremely worried」

「Haha… I guess so」

I scratch my cheek with my fingertip.

「So, what do you think? Have you become a little more aggressive? Did you at least get to talk to that big brother(Onii-san) of yours?」

「Uh… umm, yeah, s-sort of」

I told her why I joined the club and about big brother I’ve always wanted.

「Sort of?」

「Well, um… we go to school together in the morning, do radio gymnastics together, and… I kissed his cheek」

「Doeee!? Seriously?」

「What, that reaction?」

「Because it’s kissing, you know. I mean, are you already a boyfriend and a girlfriend? And normally, someone will not kiss the cheeks of a guy with whom they are friends!」

「W-Well, t-that was… I don’t know… I think I tried really hard… But nothing happened from there…」

Ayame-chan chuckled when I expressed my disappointment.

「You don’t have to be in such a hurry, okay? I think you’ve made great progress. Since it’s Saori, I was thinking you wouldn’t be able to talk to him, and would just watch him from behind the grass」

「Behind the grass… please don’t kill me without judging」

I puffed out my cheeks, took a step or two forward, and looked back at Ayame-chan.

But at that moment, I opened my eyes wide.

I saw a big motorcycle riding up on the sidewalk behind Ayame-chan, out of the line of cars passing by on the street.

「S-Stop! It’s dangerous!」

I panicked and pushed Ayame-chan away.

Ayame-chan is thrown into the hedge of a house on the side of the road. But I didn’t manage it on time. And the next moment, with a violent shock, my body flies into the air.

The time that I floated in the air seemed unusually long.

Eventually, I am slammed into the asphalt, and the pain hits me as if my body has been torn apart.

「S-Saori! Saoriiiii!」

And then I lost my consciousness as Ayame-chan rushed towards me in a desperate manner.